Phony ‘Forsake Our Troops’ Site

A new shock site called Forsake Our Troops is doing the rounds. It purports to be the homepage of an organization "dedicated to the notion that our nation's military is grossly overcompensated, at the expense of the American taxpayers." In actuality, it's just an attempt to be outrageous. Apparently it was created by a White Power activist called Michael Crook (according to the True or Better blog). Crook seems to have a history of doing things like this. Last year he created a fake group called Citizens Against the Troops. Seems like a charming fellow. Of course, this character could insist that he sincerely believes everything he's saying. But I would contend that he only sincerely wants to be obnoxious. (via Malkin Watch)Update: This is the same Michael Crooks who once claimed to find a soldier's digital camera at a football game and told the media that he would return it for a 'finder's fee' of $1000.

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Comments

So is it a hoax because the numbers are faked, or because racists are not known for mocking the military?

Posted by Strelnikov in Somewhere in So-Cal. on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 02:48 PM

Some conservatives like to claim that people who are opposed to the war are motivated by a hatred for the troops. I think that's the general idea this guy is trying to advance. He's pretending to be a troop-hating anti-war activist, but he's really a militant conservative. That's why it's a hoax.

Posted by The Curator in San Diego on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 07:47 PM

But what if he is an anti-war troop hater masquerading as a militant conservative masquerading as an anti-war troop hater? Like a Double-Double Agent. Diaperbolical

Posted by Raoul on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 09:21 PM

Sake for the troops? Sushi too?

Posted by Hairy Houdini on Sun Feb 20, 2005 at 09:27 PM

I see lots of ribbons that say "Support Our Troops", I wondered when there would be something like this to make fun. Silly.

Posted by Maegan in Tampa, FL - USA on Mon Feb 21, 2005 at 09:19 AM

I just tried the link to the site and got the "site cannot be found" page, which I should have expected.

"I see lots of ribbons that say "Support Our Troops" ...
I do, too, and it always makes me ask, "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"
Mostly, it seems to be an easier slogan to market than "Support our unelected president's ham-fisted, criminal foreign policy."
To me, the people who really support our troops are the ones agitating to end the wars and bring the troops home before they get blown up and/or have to kill other people for the sake of Halliburton's profiteering.

Posted by Big Gary in Dallas, Texas on Tue Feb 22, 2005 at 04:11 PM

Big Gary, the phrase "support our troops" stems from the Viet Nam War. Not that the phrase started there, but that during that war it was common for people to show their opposition to the war by attacking the military troops. Been there, lived through them. The people showing this sign are trying to be nice to the military people while opposing the war. And the "unelected President" bit is sour grapes. I don't like G. W. Bush but I realize that he was indeed elected both times. Every count of the Florida ballots showed that Bush fairly won the state, and would have won by a larger margin if the voting in the Panhandle - a heavily Republican area - hadn't been tampered with.

I lived through the Vietnam era too, and I am firmly convinced that the popular "everybody mistreated Vietnam soldiers/veterans" canard is a not-so-innocent, and unfounded, urban legend.
My family was active in the antiwar movement in those years, and so attended many rallies and demonstrations, at several of which I was present (when they weren't on school days or past my bedtime). During the same period, I had an uncle who was in the Air Force and did a tour in Vietnam, and another who was drafted into the Army and also served in Southeast Asia. So I saw both sides of the coin, so to speak, and while the war was actually going on, I never saw or heard of soldiers or returning veterans being mistreated or disrespected-- least of all by antiwar protesters (in fact, soldiers in uniform often participated in the protests). There may well have been a few such incidents, but it was not the general climate of the times. The people opposing the war usually made it clear that their grievance was with the big decision-makers, not the rank-and-file soldiers. At the same time, there were many heroic acts of resistance by those who refused military conscription, but even they usually did not criticize fellow draftees.

The massive vote fraud in both 2000 and 2004, and the judicial coup d'etat in 2000, are issues I guess we'll (or at least I'll) put off debating until another day.

Posted by Forsake The Troops in Somewhere on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 07:23 AM

Uh-huh.

Posted by Boo in The Land of the Haggii... on Wed Mar 23, 2005 at 07:34 AM

He is simply a coward...that is all.

Posted by Weapon Depot in USA on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:59 PM

If you go to his personal home page you will find a link to his web log. In it he announces that he is gay, as follows. Amazing how he slandered homosexuals on his "Shoot Back" section.

>Submitted by mike on April 23, 2005 - 08:22.
>There's no other way to say something like >this, other than to just say it.

>I'm gay.

>It's something that I've struggled >with ,and .even hid from myself for years.

>But now is the time for me to be honest with >myself, and others.

>I can hear the jokes now....people always knew >because I love club music, and things like >that, but the honest truth is, this is who I am.

>This obviously will mean the end of my >marriage, as it's not fair to her or myself to >continue a marriage just for the kid. Despite >that, my daughter will know her father, and I >will be in her life.

>I'm happier now that I've "come out" and I >guess I'll find out who my true friends are now.

These are his words direct from his web log.

Posted by Selab in Tennessee on Wed Apr 27, 2005 at 03:40 AM

Big Gary C,

I am a Vietnam veteran, and I can assure you that there was more than disrespect and dishonor shown to the troops who fought in Vietnam.

I excited Vietnam to the States twice. And twice at the point of entry in California demonstrators were there who spit on us, called us baby killers, threw objects at us and other such acts.

Further, you cannot imagine the feelings generated by coming home and not being welcomed back into society, by being outcast, by being labeled as a drug addicted, homicidal, criminal sociopath among other names. Many coined by John Kerry in his infamous speech. It plagues many even now, well over 30 years later.

Even veterans organisations refused us as members until they realized that their WW1, WW11, and Korea veterans were dying off and that dues were becoming depleted. But, their turn about didn't pull them out of the hole. They didn't want us then, we don't want them now is a common attitude.

The VA even gave us hassles and it is only in recent years that some of our service connected disabilities have been addressed. Agent Orange? In 1975 they put a 30 year study into effect to see if Agent Orange really caused cancers and other maladies. Needless to say that gave them a huge asset in not paying for treatment and benefits for those who fell ill with sicknesses that are now proven to be caused by Agent Orange.

For every "peacefull" demonstrator you can find who says they honored and respected the troops I can find you a Vietnam veteran who will place his hand on the Bible and under oath tell of having been spat upon, among other things. It was not overblown, it happened, it was real.

I'm not crying over spilled milk, Gary, just letting you know some of the things that Vietnam veterans faced, and are still facing even today.

Daisy, I went to the link you posted, and just so everyone knows, this guy comes off as a total fraud!

Last time I was at Fort Benning, GA, where I lived between 2003-2004, it was the Home of the Infantry. Which translates as: combat arms, i.e. no females. There are no women in the training units there, not as instructors, not in any duty position. His article says that he was reassigned to the company orderly room where his commander, a female, gave him his discharge papers. By merely saying that, he instantly discredits himself, when he was alrady on "suspicious" status in my book for his little MEPS story, which, while probable, is highly unlikely.

There were too many discrepancies in that story and the other one that is linked to it. In short, he is a sympathy-seeking champion bullsh*tter, and a one man band proclaiming, "Look at me!! Look at me!!" who can't spell worth 2 licks.

Posted by Aimee H. in USA on Mon May 02, 2005 at 02:06 PM

I agree with Aimee, MEPS doesn't do what he said about 'passing you by', there's no way. There were over 50 some odd people when I went there and even on the last day they didn't pass anyone by, they checked for everything and even stayed late due to the fact that there was so many at the time I was there. So I agree with with her on that point. I think his views are a 'look at me and what I can say' attention getter who is hiding behind the internet for safe keeping, if he's one that doesn't want the attention why does he do this? to get the feathers of peoples attention ruffed, to see how far he can go before someone shuts him down. He preaches freedom of speach but yet he doesn't remember who got him that freedom so he bashes people when and where he can. Let him have his 15 minutes of Shame, screw him, don't give him what he wants by going to his website and adding hits to it so he can be a child. And that's my freedon of speech.

Posted by HBright in Every Where on Mon May 02, 2005 at 07:12 PM

I don't think this is a hoax. This guy ruined his career with this, will probably have to move, and has basically turned his life upside down. I think he likes the attention, and I think he may actually be mentally ill.

Posted by Michael, future marine in MA on Wed May 04, 2005 at 05:15 PM

I support our troops but not exactly our president..

I respect our president and our troops..

I wear a support our troops bracelet and well, it stands for just that, support our troops, and most of them, not all, belive they should be over there, and they are doing good.

Posted by Hawklore in USA on Fri May 06, 2005 at 12:33 AM

well my father is a veitnam vet, my grandfather ww1 korea and lastly veitnam, and all my family are military members, i just got out of the USMC in August 2004. i am very disturbed by the thoughts and actions of theis michael crook. if i saw my friends go overseas, and many of them are still there today. i am pleased that for every jerk-off like michael, that there are 100 people patting me on my back saying im glad you served and i honor you and your brothers in arms.

i am proud to serve and would serve again if i had to. i honestly feel that it is up to GOD to forgive him, but id happily arrange the meeting.

semper fi

Posted by geoff in missouri on Fri May 06, 2005 at 06:22 PM

edit WWII not WWI

Posted by geoff on Fri May 06, 2005 at 06:23 PM

What I find somewhat disturbing is that he has taken the time to look up information on some of the folks that posted messages on Shoot Back. Looking up their profiles and posting it to "prove" he has some information he can "hol over their heads". Makes one think twice about how much we should allow to be released when we are on the internet.

Posted by Rick in KY on Fri May 06, 2005 at 08:49 PM

I raked in 10000.00 just in six month deployment. Oh and extra money for being away from my family. God I just love it. As I'm out there busting my ass for your freedom. LOL.

GO TO HELL. I earned every bit of that money. :-):-}:-}

Posted by JOE on Tue May 10, 2005 at 07:52 PM

No amount of money is ever worth having to leave your family. My husband was offered an extra $200 a month to stay rather than to take R&R. He declined it flat out. I definately appreciate the extra money, and my husband has earned every penny of it. I still think it's not enough, but it does help.

Posted by Alison in Camp Lejeune on Wed May 11, 2005 at 11:39 PM

WHAT LOONY BIN DID THIS GUY ESCAPE FROM!?!?! Did anyone click on the link at the bottom of his "My Days In The Army" site???? It is a TOTALLY different story!!!! WHAT A PSYCHO!!!

Posted by Angel on Thu May 12, 2005 at 01:31 AM

This guy's story about Ft Benning is complete BS as a couple of you have suspected. His story indicates that he pretty much began his training the morning after arriving. BS. He would have gone through at least a couple of days of various administrative processing. MEPS doesn't do all of that, only enough to get you sworn in.

Posted by John P in Okinawa, Japan on Thu May 12, 2005 at 05:05 AM

To Rick,

The information that this sicko is able to gain is because he maintains an aol account and he is getting information from aol profiles. There are also other ISP who may offer their clinets the opportunity to post a profile, that being the case anubody using that ISP is capable of getting that profile and knowing about you whatever you let be known. You can block the access to your aol profile, others I do not know about. This sicko has no magical powers that allow him to get information any different than any of us on this wonderful magical electronic playground.

Posted by selab in tennessee on Thu May 12, 2005 at 12:15 PM

He forgot that there is no workman's compensation for OTJ injuries, that wages are less than minimum wage when you're on duty 24/7, that deductions are taken from your pay for meals and uniforms...

and... I've been to MEPS- quite recently-- he obviously doesn't know that you spend time there for processing- further processing takes place at every training or duty station (called Reception)

what a jerk.

I could make tons more $$ in civilian life doing the same job

If militaqry is so over comcpensated, how come so many live below the poverty line? How come so much on base housing is condemned? Not fit for people to live in?